Crooks
Ain’t So Crippled
stable buck
lean face
deep black wrinkles
eyes lay deep in his head
their depth seemed to glitter with intensity
thin, tightened lips
pink palmed hand
dark chin to his pink palm
sat on his bunk
bent over to the left by his crooked spine
a small electric globe threw a meager yellow light
a nice cozy little place
scattered about the floor were a number of personal possessions
“sure, it’s swell”
he had books
“books ain’t no good. A guy needs somebody-to be near him.”
alone
“cause I’m black”
sat on his bunk
and looked at the door
“well I tell you, all of you stink to me”
for a moment
“I ain’t so crippled”
he fell slowly to rubbing his back
reduced himself to nothing
explored his spine with his hand
“I ain’t so crippled”
kept his distance and demanded that other people keep theirs
“don’t come in a place where you’re not wanted”
he was more permanent than other men
“nobody never gets to heaven”
“It don’t make no difference, no difference.”
YOU ARE READING
Found Poems
PoetryFound poems are quite self explanatory by their title. Simply, lines are taken from a text and rearranged to create a poem.
